I am quickly approaching a week in Bamako, Mali so I suppose I’ll give you a bit of a rundown of my experience here thus far.

I am really beginning to fall in love with this place. I have now been out a few times, so I am starting to get a little bit of a feel for how this city operates. There are two sides to the city, one on either bank of the Niger river, with bridges to connect the two at numerous points. There is no real main downtown area, though there is a newly developing area where the old airport once was. This is an oddly vibrant area because half the land is now big, new office buildings and half has yet to be developed. The land has been taken over by locals for gardening, selling goods and, well, living. Then of course, right there you meet the gorgeous (and gated) U.S. Embassy… but I digress.

The river does not seem to mark any economic or social border. The city appears to simply scatter itself in all directions with no visible pattern. I’m sure more patterns will make themselves clear in time. My father wasn’t lying when he said they don’t pick up the trash in the streets. Since the new President took office, I hear the police and government agencies have not done much to help in the daily lives of the citizens here. Especially now with the war in the north and the whole Ebola scare, the government seems a bit preoccupied to say the least. As a result, trash floats down every road and the traffic laws are essentially unenforceable suggestions. People live in makeshift tents in undeveloped fields the same as new building development sites. Knowing the rules is important, but following them may cost you your life, as they say. And ain’t that the truth.

The people of this city have seen some horrible things. They still remember ’91 when the people stormed the Presidential Palace and were met with military bullets. Every day the northern states are under radical Islamic law. Not to mention one woman dies every eight minutes attempting childbirth. Life is fragile on this side of the world. Life is fragile everywhere, but some places the soft spots are more visible than others. But the people here inspire me to no end. In the midst of innumerable hardships the clothes are vibrant, the food is still carefully crafted and delicious, and the weekends are reserved for dancing. Watching the way everyone gathers and smiles and dances without critique or concern has been truly wonderful so far. It just goes to show that unless we learn to dance when the music plays, we can never know how to dance when there is none.

As humans, we can appreciate like no other creature on the planet. Our eyes let us see in color, our tastebuds let us recognize insane combinations of flavors, and our ears – our ears know music! If there is anything that separates our lives from the beasts, I am convinced it is this: our capacity to appreciate. In the midst of a brutal world, we create music. So this week I’ve got a homework assignment for anyone who actually reads this. Take a little bit of time to appreciate something you like, like a favorite song or movie. Or go for a walk and sit at that one bench for a bit while you enjoy the view. Let’s face it, we’ve all got the time. The first, shorter link I’ve attached here is to a live rendition of the Godfather theme song, performed by Slash from Guns N’ Roses. I include it because it is one of the most beautiful little covers of a classic I’ve ever seen, and every time I can’t help but feel something. The second is a bit longer, but worth every minute. This is a rendition of Walt Whitman’s famous 60-page poem, Song of Myself, arguably his greatest single work, read of course by Darth Vader himself, Mr. James Earl Jones. I hope these might do for you what they have done for me, and if not, they’re entertaining at least.